Proof (That Tony Stark Has a Heart)
by ShirleyAnn66
Summary: Tony Stark does not love easily - but he does love well.


A/N1: Unbeta'd; all mistakes are my own. At the time I wrote this, I had not yet seen The Avengers, so please take that section with a grain of salt. :)

* * *

Tony never would play well with others, but all of the other Avengers - grudgingly - admitted the man was generous with his wealth and time and genius, even if they had to put up with his irreverent snarkiness at the worst possible moments.

Even then they were all surprised, and oddly touched, by their suites, when the repairs to the newly christened Avengers Tower were finally finished.

Each suite - which each took up a floor - was tailored to that person's tastes and idiosyncracies, and were carefully designed to make each Avenger feel comfortable and welcome and _safe_.

How had you known, Bruce asked one day when they were all relaxing after a mission, exhausted and bruised, but victorious and alive. How had you known just what we needed - known exactly what to give us to make us feel at home?

Tony shrugged and smirked and said, sometimes I pay attention...when it matters.

* * *

When Happy told Tony he was leaving, Tony simply stared, his brown eyes wide and flat and oddly expressionless.

Under that unblinking gaze, Happy began to stammer as he hastened to explain that he wasn't needed - Tony was Iron Man for fuck's sake - Iron Man didn't need a bodyguard! Especially not when he was surrounded by other superheroes and super-assassins. Happy just wanted to go where he was needed and relevant; where his boxing skills and other talents still had some value.

Tony listened without reaction, and when Happy stammered to an awkward, red-faced, tongue-tied stop, Tony only said fine, go, who's stopping you?

But Tony wouldn't let Happy see the expression in his eyes.

Instead, Tony teased Happy unmercifully about the hot young Hollywood actor Happy was going to be protecting, then gave him a going away party, a generous parting bonus, and Happy's favourite car (and quietly continued funnelling Happy's salary into one of Happy's seldom-noticed accounts).

As Happy was leaving, Tony shook his hand and said, while Iron Man may not need a bodyguard, Tony Stark _did_ - and there'd be a place waiting for him whenever he decided to come back home.

* * *

Rhodey had been War Machine for just over a year when Natasha let it slip that Tony had _let_ him take the suit.

Rhodey laughed, then abruptly stopped when he caught sight of Tony's face - and the argument began, Rhodey insisting Tony hadn't _let_ him do anything. In the end, Tony took Rhodey to the workshop and invited him to try and take another suit.

When Rhodey regained consciousness, he gratefully swallowed the pain pills, pressed the ice pack against his temple, and stared at Tony for a long moment before he finally asked why Tony hadn't simply given him the suit.

Tony dropped his gaze and shrugged. Because he'd been dying, he said, and needed a worthy successor for Iron Man. That had been easy - who else but Rhodes? But how to protect him, how to make him as safe as possible when Tony wasn't around to upgrade or fix the suit? How could he fix it so Rhodey's reputation would be strong enough to survive where Tony himself could not? Tony decided that when word got out that Rhodey had managed to steal a suit from Iron Man himself, his reputation as a bad ass would be made, and would make people think twice before messing with him.

At least, that's what Tony had hoped.

Rhodey pondered. He was a soldier, he said, well able to protect himself. Why go to all that trouble? Why worry so much about it?

Because that's what brothers do, Tony said.

* * *

Pepper.

Cool, aloof, beautiful, smiling at the flashing cameras with Tony's arm slung possessively around her waist even as he played to the media.

Pepper.

Watching fondly as Tony flirted his way around the room, trailing pheromones and charisma and arrogance and genius like a net, catching everyone in his path - even those who hated him.

Pepper.

Smiling into her martini, which seemed to have more olives than liquid, as various party-goers slyly insinuated that Tony's playboy ways were far from tamed.

Pepper.

Tony's dark eyes, soulful and besotted, meeting hers and clinging, promising, before he turned back to work the room. He constantly looked for her, was constantly _aware_ of her, like a compass finding north.

Pepper.

Lightly touching the gold medallion around her neck as she moved through the crowd, working the room and watching Tony simply because she liked watching him.

A simple medallion,looking vaguely like Tony's original arc reactor; too simple, really, for the occasion and her dress.

A simple medallion with a simple engraving on the back: _My heart, who walks outside my body._

* * *

**A/N2:** Last line is paraphrase of a quotation from Elizabeth Stone: "Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."


End file.
